A Look Inside My Camera Bag
“What camera and lenses do you use for your photos?” is a question I often get in my messages on Instagram. I am more than happy to answer that question and provide a list of everything inside my camera bag. Most photographers build their collections over time, so please keep this in mind. Purchasing expensive camera gear is worth the investment if you are serious about photography.
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Main Camera Body
Sony A7iii – I’ve used a few different camera bodies before. My first camera was a Nikon, and I got this way back in high school. It was a cheaper camera body, and I never really learned how to use it.
My second camera was the Canon 80D which was great for when I used to create YouTube videos. A couple of years later, I became interested in photography, so I would use that camera. I would take it on travels with me, and although it did take decent quality photos, there was one thing I could NOT stand about this camera. It was a crop sensor camera (so was the old Nikon).
So once I went on a few trips, I realized how much I loved photography and became very passionate about it. I decided to look into investing in a better camera for travel and I knew I wanted one that was actually a full-frame camera. I decided on the Sony A7iii after watching tons of review videos on different mirrorless cameras on YouTube.
Why did I pick this camera? For one, it’s a full-frame camera which is really important to me, and I will explain in a bit. And two, it’s also a mirrorless camera which means it’s more lightweight and less bulky than a DSLR.
I will never go back to using a crop sensor camera. Why? Many times I would be trying to take a photo, and I could not fit all of the scene I wanted in the shot and was not always able to take the extra steps back to fit it all in. Crop sensors crop the edges of the frame giving a tighter field of view.
The Sony A7iii is not the most expensive camera, but it takes fantastic quality photos. I also love that it has eye autofocus. When you have this setting on, the focus will constantly adjust to the person’s eye in the frame, which is fantastic for taking portraits. The auto focus is also insanely quick! This camera body will be inside my camera bag for a long time.
Lenses Inside My Camera Bag
Sony FE 50mm F/1.8 Lens – The nifty fifty, as many like to call the 50mm lenses. This is currently my favourite lens for taking portraits, and it is affordable and takes beautiful, clear, crisp photos. I take this with me everywhere I go. 50mm lenses are so versatile and should be in everyone’s camera bag.
Tamron 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 – I had initially purchased this lens for a wedding I was asked to shoot. I didn’t think I would use it that much, but I was wrong. I actually have this lens on my camera at most times since it is a wide-angle and a bit of a telephoto lens all in one. The one downside of this lens is at some focal lengths the lowest f-stop is 5.6. I just love the versatility of this lens and how I can shoot many different things with it.
Sony SEL 16-25mm F/2.8 G Master – This is the most expensive piece of camera gear that I own. It is an incredible wide-angle lens that is amazing for landscape photography. It is a heavy piece of glass, so I sometimes leave this one behind – which is a little unfortunate considering how much this thing costs.
I would eventually love to purchase a telephoto lens to add to my collection and a 35mm prime and 85mm prime lens. The lenses inside my camera bag will switch up in the future once I start adding more lenses to my collection.
GoPro
GoPro Hero 10 – Yes, of course, I have a GoPro in my camera bag with me at all times. This is my vlogging camera and underwater video and photo taker. This sweet little guy has so many features, and you can create all kinds of amazing content with it! It takes excellent quality photos and shoots in 4K.
This is always inside my camera bag. I never know when I’ll need it.
iPhone
iPhone 12 Pro Max – Okay, so technically, this isn’t inside my camera bag; it’s usually in my pocket. But, I still use it often when creating content. It sits on my Pivo, connects to my drone, and is the primary source for creating reels content for Instagram!
Drone I Use
DJI Mini 2 – This little beast shoots in 4K and features level 5 wind resistance (29-38kph). One of the main reasons I purchased this one, in particular, is the fact that it is only 249g. Why is that amazing? Because in most countries, drones under 250g don’t require registration or a license to fly. Which is perfect!
Drones also give you another perspective for photos which is always lovely. This won’t always be inside my camera bag since drones are banned in some places and countries.
Fly More Kit – Pretty much everything you need is in this kit. Extra propellers, extra batteries and a car charger are all essential for anyone who travels! I needed the spare propellers after my first drone flight since I hit a tree with it.
Accessories Inside My Camera Bag
Pivo Pod Active – This little piece of gear literally changed my life for content creation. This is so perfect for solo travellers, and no longer do I need someone to be there to take videos of me. I think this new addition will always be inside my camera bag.
This little guy comes with an app that you connect your phone to, and you set your phone up on the Pivo. The Pivo attaches to a tripod and has multiple settings.
What makes the Pivo unique is that it spins 360º and follows you as you walk around it. It also has the ability to zoom in while you walk away and zoom out as you walk toward it.
The Pivo comes with a remote to start, stop, and turn the Pivo to where you need it. But don’t worry, once you press play, you can put the tiny remote in your pocket and walk around, and the Pivo will spin to follow you automatically. Isn’t that neat?
Pivo Smart Mount – This is just an attachment for the Pivo Pod, making it easier to get the right angles in either portrait or landscape. It’s much more versatile than the original mount on the Pivo Pod, so this is an excellent small investment.
SHOOT Dome Port For GoPro Hero 10 – This is a really cool piece of gear that makes over-underwater photos possible. These are the incredible photos you see where it shows half the photo underwater and the other half above water. This dome has dual handle stabilization making it easier to stabilize your shot when taking photos.
Protective Underwater Housing For GoPro – The GoPro Hero 10 is waterproof but can only go underwater to a certain limit. The underwater housing is perfect if you want to go below the depth limit of the GoPro. Ideal for people who love freediving or scuba diving
PolarPro 3-Pack Filter Kit For GoPro Hero 10 – These are red and magenta filters for shooting underwater photos and video content with the GoPro. It keeps the colours looking more true to the eye and removes the super green or blue tones depending on the colour of the water you are in.
Urth 82mm UV, Circular Polarizing (CPL), Soft Grad ND8 Lens Filter Kit (Plus+) – The UV Filter+ sharpens photos, protects your lens from scratches, water, dirt etc., and cuts ultraviolet light. It’s a great way to protect an expensive lens, so I purchased it in 82mm to fit my GMaster Lens. The polarizing filter helps to cut reflected light and also helps to increase contrast and boost colours. The ND filters are great for blocking light to allow for longer exposures.
Geekoto 77″ Aluminum Camera Tripod – This is a good quality tripod that will not likely fall over from the weight of your camera. This was important to me because camera bodies and lenses are expensive, and I wanted something sturdy and trustworthy.
The top comes up as a monopod with a 360º Panoramic Ball Head, which makes it perfect for getting the perfect angle without having to adjust the tripod legs in all kinds of ways.
Powerextra 2 Pack Replacement Battery with Charger – A set of 2 extra batteries and a dual battery charger for my primary camera. Spare batteries are always helpful!
Lexar 128GB SD Cards – Having a good quality and fast writing SD card with lots of storage is pretty much essential for photographers. Always handy to have multiple as well!
Lexar Professional 1066x 128GB microSDXC memory cards – a great memory card for the GoPro.
Lexar High-Performance 633x 128GB MicroSDXC memory cards – after doing some research, I heard this was a great memory card for the drone.
Camera Accessory Bag – A handy organizer where I store all my memory cards, chords, cleaning cloth, batteries and any other small accessories.
Air Blower – I use this to blow any dust or dirt off my camera lens.
Accessories Not Inside My Camera Bag
Dual Battery Charger + Battery (Hero10) – this is an official GoPro Accessory. Extra batteries are always handy – especially if you can charge 2 at a time.
Travel Adapter – I have a universal / travel plug that can plug into any country’s outlets. It also has multiple USB ports and a universal port to plug into.
MacBook Air – I use this to do work, edit photos and videos and write my blog posts. Not much more to say!
Seagate Hard Drives 2TB – I have multiple of these hard drives. I never chose this one for any particular reason, but I will probably upgrade to something else eventually.
Lenton USB C Hub with 4K HDMI Multi-Port Adapter – Macbook Airs don’t have USB ports or memory card slots, so I needed an adapter to connect USB devices and memory cards to my Mac with.
Camera Bags
I don’t have any crazy professional camera bags, but here are the two that I use. I switch up between them all depending on what I am doing.
Manfrotto OffRoad Hiker Backpack 20L Rose – This camera bag is for hiking and has space for a camera and one other lens. I can stuff a 3rd lens in another section of the pack. The bag is split into 2 sections. The bottom is where the camera gear goes, and the top is where I put my other stuff like my CamelBak and any other items I might need.
There is also a side pocket where I stick my snacks and small items like bug spray. There’s a side part for a water bottle, but since I usually hike with my CamelBak, I like to put my tripod in there and secure it with the tripod straps.
Moment Jumper Photo Backpack in Pine Green – this is a small backpack that fits much less than the backpack above. There are tripod straps at the bottom, and you can fit the camera with multiple lenses. It is not waterproof, so I never take this out when it’s calling for rain, and I usually use it on shorter hikes.
And There You Have It – A Look Inside My Camera Bag
This probably isn’t the most exciting post I could make, but I get the question a lot about what gear is inside my camera bag. So I wanted to make a detailed post to give you all the information you might need or want to ask for! I will update this list as I add more to the list and remove things as I remove them from my camera bag.